Wednesday, November 25, 2009

JAILED FOR WEARING PANTS,SUDANESE JOURNALIST IN PARIS

PARIS - She managed to leave Sudan hidden beneath a niqab. The journalist who was put in jail in her country, Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, for dearing to wear "indecent" pants arrived in Paris with a "courageousness that is important for Arab and African women", underlined French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, who received her on the eve of the World Day against Violence Against Women.

"The article of the penal code, which according to the judges that sentenced me, bans women from wearing pants does not exist, it exists only in their heads," underlined the journalist who was put in jail in July together with other women who were wearing pants.

Since they pled guilty, the women were whipped as punishment. Lubna refused and ended up in jail.

She was released from jail on parole and in the meantime wrote a book, "40 coups de fouet pour un pantalon" (40 lashes for a pair of pants) published by Plon, which will presented tomorrow morning to Cape, the foreign press association in Paris, for the initiative of the Arab press club and the association for the defence of women, Ni Putes Ni Soumises (neither whores nor subjects).

In the book, in addition to telling her story, Lubna writes about the condition of women in her country where sharia law is applied.